Shaft mounting assembly for wheel dresser or the like



SHAFT MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR WHEEL DRESSER OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. 23. 1967 March 24, 1970 w, c s ET AL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORIS P051597 IV. 6715779174 March 24, 1970 w, c s ET AL 3,502,064

SHAFT MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR WHEEL DRESSER OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. 23, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m m m V m E 3 @b \h i a a *w M M m mw .6% M6 NQ O 5 United States Patent US. Cl. 12511 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mounting assembly for a grinding wheel dresser having an axially reciprocable and rotatable shaft journaled within a sleeve by means of angularly spaced bearings one of which is spring pressed into engagement with the shaft, and including means reacting between the shaft and the sleeve for indicating precisely the extent of longitudinal movement of the shaft.

The invention relates to grinding wheel dresser assemblies hand more particularly to apparatus for mounting a wheel dressing tool. In the dressing of grinding wheels it is of great importance that the workpiece engaging surface of the grinding wheel be dressed uniformly. If the wheel surface is not uniformly dressed, the workpieces ground between successive dressings will not be uniform and the grinding wheel will be subject to undue wear. Inasmuch as proper dressing of a grinding wheel requires movement of the dresser laterally of the axis of the wheel, as well as movement axially of the wheel, it is necessary that the dressing tool be mounted for movement relative to the wheel. Since the dressing tool must move, there must be sufficient looseness in the mounting means to enable such movement to be effected. This looseness will have an effect on the relative positions of the dresser and the wheel being dressed, depending on such factors as the rate of relative movement of the dresser and the wheel and the depth of cut. Moreover, such looseness accelerates wear of the relatively movable parts, which results in further inaccuracies in maintaining the desired relative positions of the dresser and grinding wheel.

An object of this invention is to provide a mounting assembly for a grinding wheel dresser or the like and which overcomes the disadvantages referred to above.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mounting assembly for a rotary and axially adjustable shaft and which is self-compensating for wear and which assures consistent and uniform movement of the shaft relative to its supporting means.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character referred to and in which means is provided for indicating the axial adjustment of the shaft.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mounting assembly for a dresser supporting shaft and which enables unusually large adjustments of the dresser to be made.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out specifically or will become apparent from the following description when it is considered in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention and mounted on a machine or other supporting structure shown fragmentarily;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view enlarged of the apparatus;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention is adapted for use in conjunction with a grinding machine 1 having a mounting plate 2 on which is secured a bracket 3 having a plurality of nuckles 4. A shaft 5 is journaled in the knuckles 4 and also is journaled in knuckles 6 that are carried by a bracket 7 which is fixed to a hollow, cylindrical casing 8. The casing 8 thus is swingable about the axis of the shaft 5, and the relative sizes of the knuckles 4 and 6 are such as to enable relative movement of the brackets 3 and 7 axially of the shaft.

A dresser-supporting shaft 9 extends through the casing 8 and is housed within a sleeve 10. The sleeve 10 is journaled within the housing 8 by bearings 11 which are retained in position by means of retaining rings 12 and 13 and by an annular spacer 14 which surrounds the sleeve 10. Adjacent one end of the sleeve 10 the shaft 9 is journaled by an annular bearing 15 and at the other end of the sleeve 10 the shaft 9 is journaled by a hearing assembly 16 which will be referred to in more detail hereinafter.

The end of the sleeve 10 which accommodates the bearing 15 is externally threaded for the reception of an end member 17 having a peripheral flange 18 which nests with a rib 19 at the corresponding end of the casing 8 to provide a dust seal. Rotatably mounted in the end member 17 is a hollow adjusting spindle 20 having a threaded end 21 that is accommodated in a correspondingly threaded bore 22 formed in the shaft 9. A handwheel 23 is fixed to the spindle 20 to rotate the latter, and between the handwheel and the end of the member 17 is a thrust washer 24. If desired, a dust cover 25 may receive the spindle 20 and embrace the end of the end member 17. Around the shank of the spindle 20 is a compression spring 26 which reacts between the shaft 9 and the end member 17 to take up any backlash attributable to the threading of the members 21 and 22.

The bore of the spindle 20 is threaded to accommodate a correspondingly threaded lock screw 27 which has a blunt nose 28 that bears against the base of the bore 22 and has a handwheel 29 fixed at its other end by means of which the lock screw may be rotated. The arrangement is such that rotation of the spindle 20 effects axial adjustment of the shaft 9 relative to the sleeve 10, and the lock screw 27 maintains the members 9 and 10 in any selected position of axial adjustment.

It is preferred that the apparatus include means for indicating the amount of relative axial adjustment of the members 9 and 10. In the disclosed embodiment the indicating means is designated generally by the reference character 30 and comprises a conventional dial indicator 31 having a stem 32 that is threaded into an opening in the flange 18, the stem 32 accommodating a reciprocable plunger 33 which effects movement of an indicator needle 34 in a known manner. The plunger 33 seats upon a block 35 that is fixed to the shaft 9 by a bolt 36, the sleeve 10 being slotted as at 37 to accommodate the block 35. The slot 37 has a greater axial length and a greater lateral width than the corresponding dimensions of the block 35 so as to enable the shaft 9 to partake of both axial and rotary movements relative to the sleeve 10.

The bearing assembly 16 comprises three bearing members or elements 40, 41 and 42 which are spaced from one another. The bearing member 40 preferably is formed from a disk but has its shaft-engaging surface 43 shaped to correspond to the curvature of the shaft 9. The member 40 is accommodated in a radially extending recess 44 formed in the sleeve 10. An adjusting screw 45 is accommodated in a correspondingly threaded opening 46 provided in the sleeve 10 and in communication with the recess 44 so as to enable the shank of the screw 45 to exert a radial force on the bearing 40 and maintain its surface 43 in snug engagement with the surface of the shaft 9.

The bearing 41 and its associated parts are identical to the bearing 40 and its associated parts and similar parts are identified by similar reference characters, followed by the suffix a.

The bearing 42 comprises a cylindrical body 47 having an arcuate shaft-engaging surface 48 corresponding to the curvature of the shaft 9 and is provided with a blind bore 49 terminating in a fiat base 50. The sleeve 10 is provided with a diametral, threaded opening 51 in which is accommodated a correspondingly threaded thimble 52 which slideably receives the bearing body 47. At its outer end the inner surface of the thimble 52 is threaded and accommodates a correspondingly threaded plug 53. A compression spring 54 has its opposite ends seated on the base 50 and on the inner end of the plug 53 and constantly exerts a force on the bearing 42 tending to urge it into engagement with the shaft 9.

The construction and arrangement of the bearing assembly 16 are such that the shaft is supported at three equally spaced points around its periphery by the bearings 40, 41 and 42, and the spring 54 constantly exerts a radial force on the bearing 42 which, in turn, constantly maintains the shaft 9 in engagement with all three bearings so as to prevent looseness between the shaft and its bearings. The constant exertion of force on the bearing 42 by the spring 54 enables the hearings to be self-compensating for wear.

A carrier designated generally by the reference character 55 is provided for supporting a dressing tool and comprises an arm 56 joined at one end to a clamp 57 which may be clamped on the shaft 9 by suitable bolts 58. At its opposite end the arm 56 also terminates in a clamp 59 having bolts 60 and in which is accommodated a holder 61 for a diamond or other suitable dressing tool 62. The tool 62 is inclined to the axis of rotation of the holder 61 and is retained therein by means of a set screw 62. The holder 61 may be rotated relatively to the arm 56 by loosening the clamp screws 60. Two extreme positions of the tool 62 are indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2. The arm 56 and the shaft 9 may be rocked conjointly by means of a handle 64 that is secured to the arm 56.

A dust seal 65 is interposed between the arm 56 and the adjacent end of the sleeve 10 and a retaining ring 66 is threaded on the terminal end of the shaft 9 on the opposite side of the arm 56.

When the apparatus is mounted on the grinding machine 1 in condition for use, the casing 8 and its associated parts may be swung bodily about the axis of the spindle toward and away from the grinding wheel that is to be dressed. The proper position of the tool 62 relative to the grinding wheel may be determined, and if any adjustment of the tool 62 axially of the shaft 9 is required, the adjusting members 23 and 29 may be manipulated so as to effect axial movement of the shaft 9 relative to the casing 8. The extent of such movement will be 4 indicated by the indicator 30. When the tool 62 is in proper position, the machine operator may grasp the handle 64 and rock the shaft 9 and the tool holding means 55 so as to enable the tool 62 to traverse the surface of the grinding wheel.

This disclosure is representative of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive. The invention is defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A grinding wheel dresser assembly comprising support means; a sleeve member carried by said support means; means journaling said sleeve member in said support means for rotation; a shaft member within said sleeve member; bearing means interposed between said sleeve member and said shaft member and mounting the latter for rotation and axial movement relative to said sleeve member, said bearing means including a plurality of bearing elements spaced uniformly about the periphery of said shaft member in engagement with the latter; spring means acting on at least one of said bearing elements and constantly urging the latter into forcible engagement with said shaft member; means for adjusting each of the other of said bearing elements radially of said shaft member; a carrier for a wheel dressing tool; means mounting said carrier on said shaft member; means for rotating said shaft member; and means for moving said shaft axially of said sleeve member.

2. The assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein there is a total of three of said bearing elements.

3. The assembly set forth in claim 1 including adjusting means reacting between said shaft member and said sleeve member for effecting relative axial movement thereof.

4. The assembly set forth in claim 1 including indicator means reacting between said sleeve member and said shaft member for indicating the extent of relative axial movement thereof.

5. The assembly set forth in claim 1 including means mounting said support means for bodily movement about an axis parallel to the axis of said shaft and for movement longitudinally of said shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,377,934 6/1945 Greig l2511 2,435,234 2/ 1948 Munro --11 2,743,142 4/1956 Balsiger 30873 2,146,466 2/1939 Dannecker 12511 3,063,762 11/1962 Hirtz 30873 FOREIGN PATENTS 926,644 4/ 1955 Germany.

HAROLD D. WHITEHEAD, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 30873 

